Full Breakdown
Crybabies: The Scaring Brings Horror-Comedy to Edinburgh’s Fringe
8/21/2026, 4:57:16 AM
The Show’s Arrival on the Fringe
Crybabies — the Edinburgh Comedy Award-nominated sketch trio of Michael Clarke, James Gault and Ed Jones — premiered their third full-length production, The Scaring, at the Pleasance Courtyard. The run is scheduled through 30 August 2026, with performances at 8 pm each night.
Plot and Themes
The narrative follows two exorcist priests, Barrett and Holland, who fail to banish a demon, leaving Barrett dead and Holland disillusioned. Years later, the surviving priest, Father Arthur (Clarke), works as an organizer of immersive stag-do parties. He is hired to investigate a haunting at the Lyle Away Hotel, where he encounters a strange owner (Jones), a possessed child named Slimothy (Gault), and a series of supernatural tricks that blend jump-scares, visual gags and pop-culture nods to *The Shining* and *The Exorcist*. The production mixes slapstick comedy with horror set-pieces, including a haunted dolly, a floating Alexa, and an “exorcism” that flashes a torch into the audience.
Critical Reception
The Guardian praised the play’s “proud lineage” of fringe horror pastiche, noting its “twistier” plotting than *The Exorcist* and commending the balance of “chills as well as laughs.” Festmag called the show “stellar,” awarding it a five-star rating and describing it as “fringe comedy theatre perfected.”
Production Value and Audience Appeal
Reviewers repeatedly emphasized the high production values uncommon on the fringe, citing elaborate visual effects, precise timing of jump-scares and a “platinum-dense plot.” The blend of horror tropes with sketch comedy has been described as both “hilarious” and “genuinely spooky,” appealing to audiences seeking a hybrid of laughter and thrills. The show’s run through the end of August offers multiple opportunities for repeat viewings, with critics noting that the script rewards such revisits.
